Noise is bliss
by mokamon
Summary: He needed to hear them... Just one last time. He needed their laughs, their singing, their voices... He needed them.


Experiment 8zw.

Subject: Zelos Wilder.  
Objective: Discover hidden feelings within said Chosen.  
Material(s): One male Tethe'alla Chosen.  
Location: Aselia, Tethe'alla side, Meltokio, Tethe'alla's Chosen's living quarters.  
Observations: Writen below.  
Write up of procedure: Writen below.

* * *

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

So quiet...it hurt...

_What happened to all the noise? _

_It's all gone now. _

_Why did it leave? _

_It flew away, just like they did. _

_Do they not like me anymore? _

_Of course not, they love you. They just had to go there own ways..._

He didn't like it. Not one little bit.

He liked the noise in the morning.

He liked the yawns, the groans, the soft but loud 'Geroff meh...' when someone was sat on, the mutterings of a quick fire spell, the sizzle of breakfast. The popping of joints, the brushing of hair, the sloshing of water, the pleading question of 'Five mer minutes...' the packing of bags were always around him during those weeks upon weeks of traveling.

The provocative compliments that would get a sounding 'SMACK' that would echo across the field made him whine and cry while he soothed his aching cheek. The stuttering of mumbles of love and wonderings of a robot made him sigh in mental pain at the failed attempts to get affection. The confused askings of miss placed weapons made him laugh and the fluttering of wings and giggles looking for the weapons would cause him too swoon for the helper. The constant offerings of preparing breakfast that would receive a polite, 'I can prepare it...' followed by a collective sigh always made him wish it was Sebastian who was cooking again... Goddess that man could cook.

It was pretty much the same at night too. The yawns, the groans, the soft but loud 'My spot...' when someone found somewhere comfy to sleep, the mutterings of a quick fire spell, the popping of joints, the sizzle of dinner and the smacking of lips when dinner was served were things he looked forward to every day. The tossing and turning of bodies that wouldn't sleep, the snoring of those that did, the mumbles, sighs, moans and sometimes even screams of those who dreamt, the sighs, mutterings, wishing, hoping, praying, cursing, sometimes crying of those who had watch duty, though, he could do without...

The provocative compliments that would get a sounding 'SMACK' that would echo across the field made him whine and cry while he soothed his aching cheek. The stuttering of mumbles of love and confirmation of a robot made him sigh in mental pain at the failed attempts to get attention. The confused questions of miss placed bags made him laugh and the fluttering of wings and giggles looking for the bags would cause him too swoon for the helper. The constant offerings of preparing dinner that would receive a polite, 'I can prepare it...' followed by a collective sigh always made him wish it was Sebastian who was cooking again...

All the time they traveled as well. Constant lessons about history would annoy him. Confused questions about a certain emotion amused him to odd amounts. Indefinable mumbles of young love should have caused him to help the poor boy, but it was much more enjoyable to watch the mage be unsuccessful. He would always hear stories from different lands. Endless conversations that really had no meaning other then to end boredom were usually started by him... Songs were sung as well, songs from both worlds, even if someone didn't know the words. The clinking of metal on metal from shackles irked him to no end. The soft sound as sheaths hit the side of legs never even really reached his ears since it was a near constant sound to him. The shuffling of cards kept him curious at how they actually worked. The chatter he heard that would go on between the two animals, that no one but they would understand, kept him baffled at the fact the little rat was smart enough to understand the...dog.

Battles were especially noisy. The shouts of techs preformed kept him on edge. The thumping of feet as they hit the ground made him jumpy. The furious flapping of wings had him always keeping an eye on the flier. The clashing of metal caused him to clench his teeth. The shouts and cries of pain followed by worried calls of safety scared him, especially when the pained cries _weren't from him_. The ever constant spells and incantations he would shout in a rush offered him a chance to relax, if only for a moment. The cruses that would be muttered when the wrong move was preformed almost had him laughing when small red hammers fell from the sky instead of harsh beams of light. The taunts given to others to see who could best the victor had him in trouble when he gloated too much. The orders for certain techs to others would be returned with an always busy reply. He enjoyed and encouraged the loud cry of victory when a battle was won. The corny sayings and poses done when they had won the battle made him embarrassed to be around such hicks at times. The sharp cry of fear when a fight was being lost made him terrified. The shouts of pain and death when it came so close...that could make him break...cry almost.

All those noises... They were loud. They were annoying. They were obnoxious. They woke him up when he needed his beauty sleep; they kept him awake and even more tired! They got him hurt, lectured at, and bleeding ears when a certain teacher would sing. At the time he hated them. The noises were useless to no end. All he wanted was for the noise to stop. Just stop and be quiet. No noise. He didn't even want nature to make a peep.

After dealing with all those noises...he got his wish.

Nothing was loud anymore. No shouting in battles. No fire wood burning. No whining when people were tired. No yawning when they woke up. No talking about the weather. No more stories from the different worlds. No more schooling was heard for the children - even for him some days when manners were involved. No singing was heard...

No begging the convicted noble to make the food so the teacher didn't accidentally kill them all. No more lessons of history he couldn't care less about from the eldest half-elf. No more apologies from his little angel. No sharpening of an axe the not-so-robotic girl would always do. No more useless arguments with the small magician. No more painful flirting with the ninja. No more deep talks with the younger swordsman.

Nothing... Not even foot steps pounding against the hard ground.

At first...he was glad to be rid of the noises. His ears hurt for such a long time on the journey...

That was when he noticed something...

His ears hurt still. They hurt so much. Any loud noise would make him feel like crying no thanks to his angelic hearing and the ever present silence around him.

His ears hurt from not hearing the noise.

Sure, they bothered him. Sure, they kept him awake. Sure, they got him in trouble.

But...

They were home. They were comforting. They made him feel safe. The noises held his friends - his dear, dear friends who he missed so much.

At night when he was at the verge of sleep, he swore he could hear the noises again; the teacher's reading, the magician's hmm's of her lessons, the younger swordsman's whines of defiance against the lessons, the giggles of the angel as she watched him, the helping of dinner the axe girl would give to the noble when he asked for an ingredient, the conversations about ninja's and cards he would get into with the ninja...

Oh, how he missed those noises.

No... That's not exactly correct.

How he missed his friends.

_Why did they leave me? _

_They didn't leave you, they have their own lives. _

_But... I miss them... _

_And they you. _

_Where are they? _

_Gone. Living their lives in this new world you all created. _

_...I don't like this world now... _

_Why not? Because you don't get your way anymore? _

_...Because I'm not around my friends._

He would have these conversations with himself. Trying to convince himself he didn't like the world because of its inner troubles and useless arguments.

He just didn't like the new world because it gave his friends and himself no reason to travel together anymore.

Some days he wished he could go back in time. Back to when Mithos was destroying it. Not because he liked battling the crazed young boy. Never. He pitied the now passed half-elf. He just wanted the boy back so his friends would tell him they may need his help... Or just want him around...

All he wanted was to see one of them. It had been over two months since the joining of the two worlds. None of his friends had sent him a word.

Not a letter. Not a messenger. Not a greeting. Not a visit.

What was keeping them from him? Yes, the half-elves were preaching love towards the humans for half-elves. The noble and axe girl were restoring cities around the world. The ninja was taking care of her village while they moved to Sylvarant land. The swordsman and the angel had left to get all the exspheres together since...well they were together...

He sighed, the normally soft sound harsh against his angel ears. All the small things in his house were so loud now; the clock ticked like a bomb timer, the water from a hot shower seemed more like a roaring waterfall, even Sebastian's feather light foot steps around the mansion made him feel as though his butler was an elephant storming around.

The chosen of Tethe'alla sat up from his bed, his joints popping like fireworks. When he stood up, the springs in his mattress went off as though he'd been there forever and they finally gotten their break. He felt as though that were true, he hadn't done much since the journey had ended...

His foot steps were light, but heavy on his ears. The door to his bedroom opened fast, always in tip-top condition, but the sound was as an old creaking door. The red head looked down the hall of his mansion. Such a waste of space, he thought. Why have such a large home when no one but he (and Sebastian) lived in it? Not even his sister was allowed put of her abbey yet...

He tried to ignore his pounding foot steps as he walked down the stairs. An ungloved hand ran through his hair, it fell like leaves from a tree... Oh how loud everything seemed to be... And these weren't the noises he wished to hear at all...

"Hey, Sebastian?" he called lightly, not wanting to hurt his ears. "Has anyon-?"

"I am afraid not Master Zelos." Sebastian answered the unfinished question as he came through the kitchen doors, holding a duster in his hands.

Zelos sighed, "No word from Llo-?"

"No word from Sir Bud, or Miss Brunel. Nothing from the Sage siblings or the...Violent Demonic Banshee." Sebastian had a small grin under his moustache. Zelos wondered if he thought those were their real names. "Duke Bryant and Miss Combatir have not made any contact either."

The red head looked down at the shoe rack, hoping to see a pair of bright red or more hopefully a pair of purple boots. He sighed again, "Thanks anyways, Sebastian..."

Sebastian nodded his head as he went to the next room that needed unneeded cleaning, "Of course, Master Zelos."

Zelos made his way down the rest of the stairs, glancing at the knickknacks he had collected from the journey. Gifts from his first birthday that wasn't celebrated with a huge parade through the crowded Meltokio streets. Some how, even though these gifts were cheaply made and bought last minute...they meant the world to him. Presents he would receive from his hunnies meant nothing when it came to gifts he received from his dear friends.

He sat on the couch, an aggravated groan escaping his mouth, making a sound loud enough to scare a full grown lion. Who needs them anyways? They never really cared for him! They brought him along on the journey so they could have good connections in Tethe'alla! Why would he care if they didn't come to see him? They were just strangers who used him...y-yeah... Just...random barbarians from another world. It wouldn't matter if they didn't sstay in contact with him for a while... Of course not. He-! He was busy as well! All the time! Why _should _it matter if he can't hear is Bud snoring every morning, or his little angel giggling when ever he spoke to her? Why _should _he miss the aggravated sighs from the mage when they argued, or the screams everyone would make when the teacher cooked for the group? It _doesn't_ matter that he can't hear the convicts shackles shake with each step he takes, or that the Chosen can't hear the little rose-bud talking about those paw pads that she loves so much. He _doesn't _care that his ninja hasn't yelled at him for giving her compliments, or tried to hold her hand, or play with her hair too long, or...well pretty much anything. Why should _Zelos Wilder_ care if one girl won't yell at him? Why should _the Chosen of Tethe'alla _care so much about these _random _people? It _shouldn't_ have bothered him and it _didn't_...

...

So why did it hurt so much that they wouldn't see him?

Dammit... He knew he was lying to himself. They weren't strangers. He had spent over a year with them... How could they be strangers when he spent everyday with all of them for over a year? How could he not care for them all so deeply it hurt?

___Giggles, and encouraging expressions from his little angel kept him laughing along with the musical sound, he was always hoping he'd be like this other Chosen._

_Kind, powerful words from his best Bud made him stronger, kept him going on with his life, made him know he was wanted in this messed up world._

_Harsh arguments with the pre-teen half-elf made him hold his tongue, trying not to anger the boy too far to end the silly fighting for good since those arguements are highlights of his days._

_Lectures on magitechnology and history from his bewitching teacher kept him entranced in the lesson, wondering how the woman is able to hold all the information in her mind._

_Casual, genuine conversations with the convicted noble made him wonder why all noble did not behave in the same fashion, made him happy that there were down to earth people even though they had power._

_Long talks and answering questions on emotions and actions with the young female lumberjack made him feel trusted, looked up to even since she came to him most the time she was confused - she said he was the most animated._

_Loving sentiments, violent beatings, and caring actions shared between him and his favorite ninja/hunny/person made him smile all day long, especially when said girl was around._

He couldn't.

* * *

Experiment complete.

Findings: The Chosen is a very poor character. Not in wealth but poor in mental and emotional states.  
Errors occourred: The write up for the findings (see above).

Well...that was fun~ I honestly do love Zelos, he's a fun character to write about. Fun, but not at all easy; I'm betting you found that by reading the write up of the experiment... Oh well, maybe my next one will go over better. If you could, review I would be very happy as I now go off to study for Chem...


End file.
